2013

Wow! I can't believe that it has been almost a year since my last post! We have done so many things and even though I have thought about my blog often, I have not really given up time browsing on the web to write. Well, that is going to change this year!

In the last year I went from completing NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) to completing NoBo (No Boundaries) and running in my first 5K races last spring. Yes, I said running, which I never thought that I would do or enjoy doing. I got a bike for my last birthday to help with cross training and am hoping to teach my youngest to ride a two-wheeler this year so that we can go on family bike rides.

I gave up running for this summer because we went on a family trip to Thailand, and I found that I don't really like to run in the heat. I was going to plug on and just join MIT (Marathoners in Training) this winter and do my first half marathon this spring, but my best friend convinced me to do NoBo again this fall. Doing NoBo again this fall was definitely easier than the first time around, but it also convinced me that I am not ready to do a half marathon. So, the goal right now is to complete the quarter marathon in May training with NoBo and do a half marathon before I turn 41. We found that training takes a great deal of time, and it is time that we do not have to devote to running especially in the winter time when daylight hours are minimal.

I have started using a sewing machine and hope to complete more projects using it. I have also just started making no sew fleece blankets. I know that I am behind the times, but once I made some for my kids; they were so soft and warm, I kept stealing theirs and had to make one for myself. Of course, I made mine big enough to share! Once I am done with the no sew blankets, I hope to get to the fringe fleece scarf that I originally wanted to make with the sewing machine. Before we left for Florida after Christmas, I made the kids seatbelt pillows. They didn't really care for them, but I thought they were quite comfy.

I have also started Project Life this year along with Collect. These are both projects that are based on 365 Project which is taking a picture a day for a year. I have been doing pretty well so far, but we are only nine days into the year. I am using Project Life to document our family life and events and Collect just for fun. I bought the Project Life Album and Kit from Amazon and really hope that it turns out nice.

As you can see, my new year is off and running. Hope that the blog post are off to a great start also!

Big Red in the Big Ten

Welcome to the Big Ten Nebraska!  We were warmly welcomed by the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, NE.  We were "lucky" enough to sit behind the cornhead and were told to try a Runza; we ended up having two!



What Do I Look Forward to in the New Year?

I look forward to travelling in the new year.  We are trying to get to some places in the United States as well as travel overseas.  My son is really into American history and would love to see some more of the historical sites in the Eastern United States.  I would like to take him to Boston again to see the sights near there.  I have not been to Thailand since 1998 and am excited to see my family and friends and share Thailand with my husband, son, and daughter.  We will see where opportunities lead to travel later on in the year.

National Parks Visited

These are the National Parks that I have visited before I even knew I should/would want to keep track:
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Delaware Water Gap National Reserve Area
Appomattox Court House National Historic Park
New River Gorge National Reserve
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
First Ladies National Historic Site
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Reserve Area
Haneakala National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument

I look forward to sharing in many more National Park adventures with my family in the years to come.

Passport To Your National Parks

We visited the First Ladies Historic Site today.  I bought my Passport To National Parks book today.  The last park we visited was the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, and I bought the Kids' Passport To National Parks Companion.  Once I bought theirs, I decided that if I am going to take the kids to the national parks, I wanted to collect cancellations also.  And, once I had flipped through their books, I realized that I have been to many of the parks and not even realized it!

I like the kids' books because there are checklists for the national parks, whereas, the adult one just has a map with the places listed at the bottom and blank pages for stamps and cancellations.  I wish that their books had blank pages for cancellations, and my book had the checklist.  Oh, well I will make it work.